A Boy's Summer: Fathers and Sons Together [Hardcover]

Gerry Spence (Author), Tom Spense (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Gerry Spence, father to six, grandfather to ten, is a man who knows intimately the joys of fatherhood and who writes beautifully and lyrically about how fatherhood allows a man to rediscover the boy within himself, while simultaneously assuming true adult responsibility for the first time. This is a man who truly understands boys and how boys grow up to become men.

No school teaches us how to become successful human beings; there are no classes to teach boys how to become decent adult men. Boys grow up by imitating their father-if, that is, the father spends enough time with his son.

A Boy's Summer is a book of short essays describing activities, adventures and experiments that fathers and sons can do together. These projects take from an hour to an afternoon to a weekend-time that a father and son can spend together discovering themselves and the world around them

Illustrated with forty-five line drawings by Tom Spence, A Boy's Summer is written so it can be read by father to son or by son to father. "This book is for boys who, with their fathers, will share those precious moments that create the stuff of a lifetime from which successful sons, and because of it, successful fathers, are made."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Addressing boys aged eight to 14, Spence (Give Me Liberty!) offers blueprints for outdoor activities that fathers and sons can do together. Making stilts, gardening, fishing, and kite making are among the suggested projects, most of which take place in the vicinity of creeks, woods, plains, and ponds. Through these projects, boys will have a good time, grow close to their fathers, and become more responsible through these skill- and character-building exercises. This work, however, has a limited readership because of its target audience. Since most of the activities demand rural surroundings, it is minimally applicable to suburban and urban kids, and it is largely useless to boys without fathers. Spence's intimate style and emphasis on strengthening relationships recall Robert Ruark's The Old Man and the Boy (Holt, 1995). Libraries interested only in a nature-oriented activity book, however, might consider Susan V. Bosak's Science Is (Firefly, 1992). For rural public libraries or where interest warrants.
-Douglas C. Lord, Hartford P.L., CT
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Spence, celebrity lawyer, best-selling author, and TV talking head, offers fathers and sons a rich selection of summer projects and adventures to experience together. They include getting a dog; hiking; fishing; whittling; making slingshots, rafts, and fires; digging a cave; watching stars; gardening; treasure hunting; and keeping a butterfly journal with watercolors. Spence stimulates a boy's love for words more diverse than dude and coolthough he is a cool dude as well as a clear, vivid, and wryly humorous writer. Spence's brother Tom's illustrations are engaging and instructive. Woven in with the fun and exciting projects in the text is Spence's persuasive advice on acting responsibly and the importance of fathers and sons valuing each other. Although written specifically for fathers and sons, much of Spence's advice is equally useful for daughters. Recommend this book to fathers who want to read about parenting without psychobabble. John Rowen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 204 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312202822
• ISBN-13: 978-0312202828
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,524,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gerry Spence has been a trial attorney for more than five decades and proudly represents "the little people." He has fought and won for the family of Karen Silkwood, defended Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, and represented hundreds of others in some of the most notable trials of our time. He is the founder of Trial Lawyer's College, a nonprofit school where, pro bono, he teaches attorneys for the people how to present their cases and win against powerful corporate and government interests. He is the author of fifteen books, including The New York Times bestseller How to Argue and Win Every Time, From Freedom to Slavery, Give Me Liberty, and The Making of a Country Lawyer, and is a nationally known television commentator on the famous trials of our time. He lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Spence winner--different that his previous books, May 4, 2000

By 

"okielaw" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Boy's Summer: Fathers and Sons Together (Hardcover)

Spence has written many books about the law, politics and himself. This book is different. It is a book of short essays about things a father can (and should) do with his son. Although apparently intended for that audience, I found the book terrific and I have two daughters. Perhaps it is about what a father should do with his children. Nonetheless, it is written in the classic style of previous Spence books. The book is co-authored by Spence's brother Tom who also provided the illustrations. It is worth reading. Another victory for Spence. AAA+++

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Boy's Summer: Father and Son Together, June 16, 2000

By 

"pastrohm" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Boy's Summer: Fathers and Sons Together (Hardcover)

A great book for fathers and sons. This is a great gift for Father's Day and should be read by Fathers and Sons on Father's Day. It is motivational as well as heart warming. My son loved the book and related well to the various chapters. I have purchased 20 copies to give to my employees with sons. It's excellent.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect gift for both fathers and sons, June 26, 2002

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Boy's Summer: Father and Son Together (Hardcover)

As Gary Spence puts it "Fathers are just boys with whiskers" and lest the reader fear that Spence is ignoring girls, he intends to write another book for fathers and their daughters. A Boy's Summer is a delight, guaranteed to awaken the boy lurking in every man and to inspire boys to find pleasure in timeless pursuits, loved for generations - from walking on stilts to building box traps.
I bought several copies of this one to give as "new baby" gifts - for the fathers of baby boys, because so many new baby gifts include the new mother, but not necessarily the new father. This one reveals what fun can be had in the years to come, activities which can be shared not only by boys and their fathers but perhaps a kindly uncle or big brother). From hiking to fishing, making fire the way the Indians did to rafting, you won't find a better guide to adventuring together.